Walker N, Gupta R, Cheesbrough J
Department of Microbiology, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Preston, UK.
J Hosp Infect. 2006 Jun;63(2):167-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2005.10.019. Epub 2006 Apr 17.
A study to assess the level of bacterial contamination of blood pressure cuffs in use on hospital wards was performed. Viable organisms were recovered from all the 24 cuffs sampled at a density of between 1000 and >25 000 colony-forming units/100 cm2. Potential pathogens were isolated from 14 cuffs (58%). Eleven cuffs grew a single pathogen and three cuffs grew a mixture, yielding a total of 18 isolates. Meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from eight (33%) cuffs, meticillin-resistant S. aureus was isolated from two (8%) cuffs and Clostridium difficile was isolated from eight (33%) cuffs. This study serves as a reminder that hands are not the only fomite to go from patient to patient on hospital wards, and that measures should be taken to reduce the risks posed by blood pressure cuffs.
开展了一项评估医院病房正在使用的血压计袖带细菌污染水平的研究。从所采集的全部24个袖带中均检出了活的微生物，密度在1000至超过25000菌落形成单位/100平方厘米之间。从14个袖带（58%）中分离出了潜在病原体。11个袖带培养出单一病原体，3个袖带培养出混合病原体，共分离出18株菌株。从8个（33%）袖带中分离出对甲氧西林敏感的金黄色葡萄球菌，从2个（8%）袖带中分离出耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌，从8个（33%）袖带中分离出艰难梭菌。这项研究提醒我们，在医院病房，手并非是唯一会在患者之间传播病菌的媒介，应采取措施降低血压计袖带带来的风险。
